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The University of Michigan is currently reviewing its diversity program, which has been a strong advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education. The school is exploring new strategies in response to criticism regarding the program’s effectiveness and influence on campus culture.
Written by Nicholas Confessore
The University of Michigan, known for its strong support of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in higher education, is considering making changes to its program. This comes as colleges nationwide prepare for Donald J. Trump’s second presidency and potential challenges to these initiatives from the Republican party in government and academia.
Officials in charge of governing the university expressed their belief that the board would aim to impose restrictions on diversity statements in the hiring and promotion process. Additionally, the board may consider reallocating a larger portion of Michigan’s D.E.I. budget towards recruitment initiatives and tuition assistance for students from lower-income backgrounds.
Michigan is considering changes that would make it one of the first selective public universities to review diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives internally, rather than in response to legislative demands. The board overseeing the university has a majority of Democrats, who are elected by the state’s voters and typically make decisions through consensus. Regents in Michigan have the final say on the university’s finances and provide general supervision of the school according to the state’s constitution.
The next meeting of the regents is scheduled for December 5th. However, there has been strong opposition on Michigan’s campus in response to initial discussions between the regents and university officials. Administrators focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion (D.E.I.) have launched a campaign to defend their work and maintain their funding amidst criticism.
A rally took place on the Ann Arbor campus on Monday, where hundreds of supporters of diversity, equity, and inclusion (D.E.I.) gathered.
One speaker, junior Pragya Choudhary, acknowledged that the D.E.I. initiatives at this university are not flawless, but emphasized that everyone in the audience recognizes that the university would be in a worse state without them.
The discussions have brought attention to a general lack of clarity on campus regarding the purpose of the D.E.I. program and the intentions of the regents. Some faculty and students have expressed concerns that the regents may completely stop funding the school’s D.E.I. initiatives, although this drastic measure is not currently being considered. There are also accusations against the regents for allegedly planning to eliminate the school’s Go Blue Guarantee, which covers full tuition for lower-income students from Michigan. However, the regents have actually stated that they aim to extend this program.
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